London has been battered by 50mph winds that have felled trees and caused travel chaos. Powerful gusts swept across the capital as the Met Office issued a yellow "be aware" weather alert for most of the country.

Is Gordon Birtwistle really the best man to champion apprenticeships? The MP for Burnley might not seem the obvious choice as ambassador for young people, given that he voted for the increase in tuition fees, against gay marriage, and turns 70 this year. But Business Secretary Vince Cable thinks he’s just the ticket and installed him as the Government’s new apprenticeship czar last week.

A nervous young Ladder For London apprentice yesterday opened the annual Commonwealth Day Observance ceremony at a packed Westminster Abbey attended by hundreds of VIPs and the Duke of Edinburgh, who cut a poignant and solitary figure without the Queen.